Milwaukee, WI

Two Milwaukee friends hold their third annual period party to combat period poverty

Published

2 years ago

April 30, 2024

Two Milwaukee friends hold their third annual period party to combat period poverty

In 2022, Nicole Dachs approached her friend Jamie Robarge, a photographer in Milwaukee, to ask if she’d be interested in hosting a period party. Dachs volunteers weekly at the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, packing period kits — free kits of pads and tampons, which the group then distributes to organizations to provide to people in need.

The period kit program is part of a goal to end period poverty. According to the Alliance for Period Supplies, two in five people who menstruate struggle to afford menstruation supplies, which leads to their missing work, school and activities.

Robarge had heard of the Milwaukee Diaper Mission’s work to supply free diapers to caregivers in need, and was eager to help out with the mission to supply free period products as well.

In December of 2022, the friends hosted their first period poverty at Robarge’s photography studio. They collected about 5,000 pads and tampons, and raised $1,000 for period products, all of which they donated to the Milwaukee Diaper Mission. Then the friends decided to host another one just six months later, to coincide with Period Poverty Awareness Week in May. This one was at Boone & Crockett and even more popular, raising more than $3,000 and collecting 25,000 pads and tampons.

And, they’re hoping that their next party, coming up on May 19, will be their biggest period party yet. Here’s what Robarge and Dachs have to say about their upcoming event.

What is a period party?

Dachs: Whenever I pack period kits for the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, it’s like they fly off the shelves so I know there’s a need for pads and tampons. I wanted to host a drive to help supply them with more, but I also really love throwing parties. I didn’t want to just host a drive; I wanted to make it a party and something that’s fun to celebrate menstruation vs. it being a taboo that people don’t talk about. I want it to be loud and in every room and accepted that it’s just a part of life that more than half the population experiences.

Robarge: At our period parties, we encourage people to bring tampons and pads, and then we also have local businesses that donate raffle items. So we raise money through the raffle to buy more pads and tampons.

What can people expect at this year’s period party?

Robarge: Our party this year is at Enlightened Brewing Company, 2020 S. Allis St., from 1 to 4 p.m. We’ll have people donate pads and tampons again and have a raffle again. We’re also going to have music and we’ll have the street blocked off with food vendors. There will be baked treats and Enlightened will have a featured drink. We’ll also be incorporating some form of visual art.

Why don’t more people know about period poverty?

Robarge: People stigmatize menstruation. We all have personal stories like in high school, whispering to someone that you need a tampon and then hiding it up the sleeve of your sweatshirt. And personal stories aside, last year when we were planning the party, we reached out to businesses to help us collect period products. One business only put up signage in the women’s locker room so the drive wasn’t seen anywhere else in that business. Why shouldn’t that signage be put out in a more public space, in the main lobby? That was an eye-opener for me about how periods are stigmatized.

What else do you do to raise period awareness and combat period poverty?

Dachs: I’ve been paying more attention when I’m out in public and in public restrooms. I see the vending machines that are supposedly providing products, but they’re empty or you have to pay for them, or a business says you have to see the manager for the products. It’s just unfair.

I have a goal to see more period products available in all public spaces for free.

So I’ve started covering yogurt containers in decorative fabric to make baskets and asking several businesses if they’d be willing to host the baskets in their bathrooms and provide free period products for people. The businesses that have agreed, I set them up with the basket and a certificate of recognition that says the business is making the pledge to support menstruators by providing products for free.

A few times where I work, people have told me, “I’m so grateful this is here; you saved me today.” People feel seen and know there are other people who understand and know these products are needed and care enough to put them out there.

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Milwaukee, WI

5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee

Published

8 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

5 takeaways: Horrific second half spells doom for Celtics in Milwaukee

The Celtics have been on a heater recently, and midway through the second quarter against the Bucks on Thursday, it appeared they were going to cruise to a sixth straight win.

That all changed rather quickly as Boston would go on to miss 16 straight threes, losing in rather embarrassing fashion to a Milwaukee team without Giannis Antetokounmpo and who had lost 10 of its last 12.

Here are five takeaways from the loss…

Staying hot

As mentioned above, it wasn’t a night where Boston just didn’t have it — it was actually quite the opposite. The Celtics connected on 10 of their first 17 threes, with Jordan Walsh and Payton Pritchard each hitting a pair to build a 21-8 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Boston was shooting 56% from the floor and 53% from deep, going up by as many as 14 in the quarter.

That all came crashing down in the blink of an eye.

Walsh’s efficient run continues

Walsh was once again why Boston was finding success on both ends of the floor against the Bucks in the first half.

The 21-year-old forward was perfect from the floor in the first half, connecting on all seven of his shots — including three triples — to score 18. Walsh also snagged three steals as his defensive energy continued to shine.

At the half, Walsh was 27-for-32 in his last five games, good for 82% from the floor. Like the rest of the Celtics, Walsh didn’t do much in the second half, finishing with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting, but his offensive effectiveness continues to be impressive given where he was even two months ago.

Can’t hold a lead

The Celtics held a double digit lead on three separate occasions on Thursday night, and all three times that lead evaporated in just minutes.

When you have a team like Milwaukee, who have lost 10 of its last 12 and appear to be on the verge of losing one of the best players in the NBA, it isn’t hard to knock them out rather quickly. But each time the Celtics went up, they let go of the rope just enough to give the Bucks — and their half empty arena — some life.

A big part of that was Kyle Kuzma exploding for a season high 31 points. The journeyman forward went toe-to-toe with Jaylen Brown all night, getting the better of the superstar on multiple occasions.

Once that third double-digit lead shrank to nothing, Boston didn’t have enough to muster another one.

Brutal shooting

As is often the story with Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics, once the threes stop going in, the ship usually starts sinking.

That’s exactly what happened in the second half on Thursday night.

Boston missed 16 straight triples, which is good for the fourth longest streak in franchise history. During that cold streak the Bucks went on a 27-8 run en route to blowing out the Celtics.

The worst shooting offender of all was probably Sam Hauser, who missed all 10 of his attempts, seven of those coming from beyond the arc.

After scoring 67 points in the first half, Boston only put up 34 in the second half.

Bobby Portis goes nuclear

When you combine horrific shooting with 30-year-old Bobby Portis pouring in 27 points off the bench, it probably isn’t going to end well for you. Portis scored 18 in the second half, with two corner threes to open the fourth basically being the dagger for the Bucks.

The forward also wasn’t afraid to go after it with Brown, even drawing a technical foul after getting a little too close for comfort.

Portis also grabbed 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

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Milwaukee, WI

Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal

Published

20 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Brewers to sign outfielder Akil Baddoo to major league deal

The Brewers have made their first major league move in the 2026 free agent market.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Brewers are signing outfielder Akil Baddoo to a major league deal. The major league nature of the deal is somewhat of a surprise, given that Baddoo spent almost all of last season in the minors.

Baddoo, 27, was a Twins second-round pick out of high school in 2016 and moved to Detroit in the December 2020 Rule 5 draft. That first season in Detroit went quite well: in 124 games, Baddoo hit .259/.330/.436 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 13 homers, and 18 stolen bases, which earned him 2.1 bWAR. But his bat has not reached those levels since, and in parts of four seasons since 2021, Baddoo has hit just .201/.288/.323 in 682 plate appearances. He spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Toledo, where he had good numbers: he hit .281/.385/.483 with 15 home runs, 21 doubles, six triples, and 25 stolen bases in 29 tries.

In the field, Baddoo is primarily a left fielder but has played some in center and a little bit in right. Defensive metrics have graded him as about an average outfielder, but those samples are not large.

Milwaukee had one open spot on their 40-man roster, which Baddoo will presumably take.

It’s an interesting move. The Brewers could use an upgrade in the outfield, but their depth isn’t bad; between Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, Blake Perkins, Isaac Collins, Garrett Mitchell, and (sort of) Christian Yelich, the Brewers have several viable major-league options. Brandon Lockridge is also in the mix as a player at the line between Triple-A and the majors. Baddoo does not project to be much of an upgrade, and instead will slot in for more depth, but MLB at-bats might be hard to come by.

In unrelated free agent news of some interest to Milwaukee fans that broke about the same time, former Brewer Hoby Milner has signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, where he’ll reunite with his former Brewers manager.

Update: According to Curt Hogg, the Brewers have also added outfielder Greg Jones on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Jones will be 28 in March and has appeared briefly in the majors over the past two seasons with the Rockies and White Sox. He was a fairly highly regarded prospect several years ago, appearing at #91 on Jonathan Mayo’s Top 100 prospect list prior to the 2022 season. He is likely to be merely added depth for the Brewers’ Triple-A squad.

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Milwaukee, WI

Hidden ‘Treasure Island:’ Wisconsin demolition exposes shuttered store

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Hidden ‘Treasure Island:’ Wisconsin demolition exposes shuttered store

BROWN DEER, Wis. – Take a look in any direction around the FOX6 TV station, and it is clear Brown Deer is growing. The village is amidst multiple major developments that will soon bring new apartments, shopping, and restaurants to Milwaukee’s North Shore. No project is bigger than what’s being called Riverside Landing.

A hidden treasure

What we know:

“All told, it’s going to be probably a four-year build-out,” said Brown Deer’s development director Nate Piotrowski. “It’s such a huge piece of land at really the gateway to Brown Deer.”

As crews demolish what was once here, something unexpected happened.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“I said to my husband, ‘Oh my God, I have to stop and get a picture of that,’” said Lynn Hunsicker.

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“And I thought, I haven’t thought of that place in years,” added Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

As an old facade is revealed by the construction of the development, memories have come flooding out.

Demolition of Treasure Island store, Brown Deer

“It never occurred to me the old Treasure Island roof would still be intact under there,” said Karen Spinti.

Treasure Island revealed

Dig deeper:

Discount store Treasure Island opened in the early 1960s. First in Appleton, and then in the exploding suburbs around Milwaukee.

“They had everything from hardware to underwear,” explained Cynthia Taylor-Gray.

Treasure Island won awards for its design. This picture was included in the August 1963 edition of Wisconsin Architect Magazine. Photos provided by Wollin Studios

Taylor-Gray said despite not being in one in decades, her memory has been jogged.

“It felt like acres, just acres of retail merchandise,” added Karen Spinti.

Sprinti recalled getting dither when she dove into the clothes as a child.

Treasure Island in 1963 as seen in Wisconsin Architect

“I remember having to go to the bathroom urgently and not being able to find my mom,” said Spinti.

The Madison Location of Treasure Island as seen in 1963 Wisconsin Architect Magazine

For Lynn Hunsicker, her senses have returned.

“I really remember the smell when you first walked in because it had popcorn and hot dogs,” recalled Hunsicker.

Treasure Island locations included full snack bars located at the front of the store. Picture appeared in 1963 Wisconsin Architect

It’s all coming back, as the store’s old look is revealed again.

But for all the clothes and tools and food for sale, there was nothing more recognizable than what was on top.

“Shop under the squiggly roof,” said Hunsicker with a smile.

Designing The Squiggly Roof

Designing the Squiggly Roof:

The squiggly roof isn’t just bringing back memories for shoppers.

“Frustrating for an 8-year-old, let me tell you. I spent a lot of time in the book section,” said architect Jim Shields.

Shields’ memory is different than most. His parents didn’t just drag him to the retailer, his dad’s employer designed it.

The Milwaukee architecture firm led by Jordan Miller and George Waltz, where Shields’ dad worked as a structural engineer, had a number of high profile projects.

Key players

George Waltz graduated from Yale before starting the firm with Jordan Miller.

From Milwaukee’s airport terminal to the downtown post office, it was the firm’s decision to go with an untraditional wavy roof for a retailer that may go down as their biggest hit.

“It’s called folded plate concrete. Normally, concrete is envisioned as a flat slab, or a plate. But in this circumstance, they could fold it up and down. And that gave it long-span capability,” explained Shields.

Courtesy: Dekalb Historyv Center

Branded as the squiggly roof, the design allowed Treasure Island’s massive stores to have fewer beams leading to a wide open floor space. The shape is so unmistakable, the roof was seen in nearly every ad.

“All under the squiggly roof. That was their trademark,” said Merissa Howard with the Dakalb History Center near Atlanta, Georgia.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

Howard said that Milwaukee design was soon being exported to her neck of the woods.

“They were absolutely massive. They were over 200,000 square feet, which to put into perspective, is bigger than a Costco,” said Howard.

Courtesy: Dekalb History Center

Known as the Treasury in some states, by the late 1970s, the retailer started to struggle through a recession.

“They were too big. There’s too much competition,” said Howard.

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By the 1980s, Treasure Island’s run was over. The stores closed, and new retailers moved in. Those famous squiggly roofs went away.

They’ve been there all along

Dig deeper:

But if you look close enough you’ll realize those roofs never actually disappeared. Have you ever been behind a former Treasure Island location? It’s worth a peek.

“They had a roof put over the top of it to keep it from leaking. So it was really hidden away,” said Jim Shields.

Shields said most of the locations weren’t destroyed, they were simply retrofitted. The squiggly roofs were hidden under new flat roofs placed on top.

From Appleton to West Allis and Brookfield, a peek behind the buildings revealed the squiggly roofs have been there all along.